Could this be Iceland’s next Prime Minister?

Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
Photo: Iceland Monitor/Eggert Jóhannesson

After talks aimed at forming a new centre-right coalition to rule Iceland fell through yesterday, it is widely expected that Katrín Jakobsdóttir will be given the next crack of the whip at putting together a majority government.

Jakobsdóttir has been invited to the President’s residence at 1pm today, where it is widely expected the President will transfer the mandate to her. She has said that if she gets the mandate, she will be holding talks with the leaders of all political parties.

This coalition would be made up of the Left-Greens, the Pirate Party, Regeneration, Bright Future and the Social Democratic Alliance, and would command a five-man parliamentary majority of 34 (out of 63 MPs).

Should this plan succeed, it would be the first time in Icelandic modern history that the country has been run by a five-party coalition, and Jakobsdóttir would become only the second woman to be PM of Iceland.